The most fun game EVER.... (for me) :)

Shawn and I play this game.....well, I should say I play a game, Shawn is just an innocent bystander. Sometimes I get in a rambunctious mood and try to irritate Shawn as much as possible just to see how far I can push him. I certainly think that this game is pretty funny - Shawn however does not like this game at all. Tonight, after we went to go see the movie Click (which was an o.k. movie - Vanessa seemed to like it quite a bit. Me, ummmm, I still haven't decided what I think about it yet) and we were hanging out in our living room. I start to irritate him by pushing his buttons (isn't that always the way? The person you love the most knows how to irritate you more than anyone in the world?) and touching him on his face, almost like the "I'm not touching you" game, but I really am touching him and trying to irritate him. Usually this game ends up with one of us really irritated or angry, but I keep on playing it anyway. I think there is something in me that wants to figure out just how far I can push him - which I know isn't the greatest thing in the world, but there is almost a point to it. When I do this I am usually in a pretty rambunctious mood and want to wrestle with the man (literally wrestle). When we were dating, it would get so deep into wrestling that I have ended up on the floor a number of times and so has he. No major injuries though - bruises, scrapes, cuts, etc.... are pretty normal, but no broken bones yet. Shawn used to get really into this, and so did I to tell you the truth. But we don't really wrestle anymore since we got the dog. Tess gets pretty scared and acts out quite a bit because she doesn't understand that we are just playing. She thinks we are serious and needs to protect us. She will sometimes jump on the bed and try to get right in the middle of us to break it up (our wrestling matches usually take place at night - and we live in an apartment now which doesn't bode well with the neighbors). So, maybe my irritation game is a subconscious replacement of our wrestling. Come to think of it, when we used to play the "let's irritate Shawn" game, it usually ended up in a pretty fun wrestling match. In fact, for those of you that used to watch WWF wrestling - I have used the "superfly" move a number of times. Pretty fun move - but I must warn you, it must be planned out otherwise you will hurt yourself quite a bit. Good thing I have never had a bad landing (you know, since I have a really bad back). Luck I guess - but lots of fun! :)

Impress your significant other with this recipe....

I just made the BEST dinner and I had to share it. This is actually based on a recipe I had at The Stinking Rose in San Francisco. It is a Pesto and Arugula Pasta and it's the BEST pasta dish ever. So, take this recipe and impress your husband/wife/partner/parents etc... This is also a GREAT dish to serve if you have having company - it will impress the pants off people and it's sooooo easy! Here you go:

Pasta - enough for the amount of people you are serving (I used bowtie pasta)
Pesto - Here's the easy part. Don't make it, but it at the store already prepared (it either comes in a bottle or in the refrigerated section.
Grape Tomatoes (small) - cut them in half, but leave them raw.
Arugula - leave this raw as well
Parmesan Cheese - NOT THE GREEN CAN (you know what i'm talking about). Either get a block of it and shave it yourself or purchase it in the container that is shaved, not grated.
OPTIONAL: -Chicken pieces or shrimp (you can add one of these if you don't want vegetarian pasta - I am a fan of the vegetarian version).
-Sauteed mushrooms

Cook the pasta until al dente (or almost done - but still has a bit of a bite to it). Drain. Add as much pesto as you'd like. Right before you serve it, add about 8 pieces of arugula per plate. Toss it lightly so you don't break the leaves. At this point you can add in the chicken/shrimp/mushrooms if you so choose. Plate each portion and add the tomatoes on top of each portion (about 10-12 pieces per plate -- or to your liking). After you do this, add grated parmesan cheese to taste.

This dinner was one of the best dinners I have made yet. My husband doesn't really like the arugula because it's not cooked (he says that there are plants growing in his dinner...lol), but to the sophisticated palate (that sounded snobby didn't it? Sorry!), it adds depth and flavor to the dish. I must say though, don't overdo it with the arugula because it does have a bit of a different taste, so people may not like it too much. Also, I added plain sauteed mushrooms to it (but that's just because I really like mushrooms). Other things that would go GREAT in this dish are sprinkling the individual plates with pine nuts or adding in sun dried tomatoes. Either of these would be great. This is a dish that I call "semi-homemade" because it takes about 15 minutes, but it's restaurant quality. Let me know if you have any questions. :) Happy cooking!

Food by the Calorie

I went to Shawn's work to meet him for lunch today. I do this at least once a week because we normally watch TV while we are eating dinner and when we go out to lunch, we actually talk. I had a thought about the price of food and nutritional value. Now we all know that a lot of foods that you can get at restaurants are high in fat and calories - too many calories and lots of fat (unless you are VERY careful about what you order). The healthier things are usually more expensive - why? I don't quite know. Healthier foods are normally unprocessed and natural which means less preparation, less additives etc... which should mean less money right? You get the picture. Most of us really want to watch what we eat when we go out. Now, here's my idea - how about grocery stores and restaurants charge by the calorie? So, if you want a salad (of my favorite things to eat is simple cut up raw veggies with low fat dressing - cut out the lettuce - just the veggies), you pay a lot less than the person who wants a burger and fries that has like a million calories. I would love to open up a restaurant that does this. Think about it, going to a place where a plate of raw veggies costs you about 3 dollars. Add a chicken breasts for 150 calories onto that and you have a perfect meal for like 4 dollars.

On a little bit of a side note, I had my interview with Evergreen yesterday and it appears as though I did a pretty good job. The person that I interviewed with seemed very positive about me joining the adjunct team of instructors - which I am pretty happy about. I will find out definitely tomorrow, so I will update y'all then! I may post later - so stay tuned!!! :)

The Land of No Leashes

So, a couple times a week the husband and I take Tess Monster on a walk to a place we like to call "The Land of No Leashes". This is a park close to our apartment where we can let Tess of the leash and let her have some free time to herself to sniff and smell and occasionally try to chase a bird or catch a frog. We took her there last night, and being her usual self, she had a great time off the leash. I must preface this though, she is VERY good about listening to us and responding when we call her back. In fact, if she chases something and we call her back in an authoritative tone, she will stop dead in her tracks and come right back to us - for this we are very thankful. We wouldn't do it otherwise. In any case, we were walking along and noticed that hundreds of little things were hoping along the ground. Now, in California this could be anything from grasshoppers to flies. But this was different - apparently we stumbled into froggy breeding ground. There were literally hundreds of froggies hopping along the ground where we were trying to walk. Being the kindhearted individual that I am, I stomped on all that I saw! Just kidding! I am not that kind of person - to know me is to know that I can't kill anything except spiders (and I even go so far as to let daddy long legs outside of the house by capturing them - I like those, they don't bit people very often). In any case, I told the husband that we needed to leave that place because I didn't want to kill any baby froggies just trying to get to the water.

Shawn thinks it's funny that I am so careful about little creatures on the ground. When it's wet outside, I have to look at every step I take for fear of crushing a snail (all of which have the name of "Harvey" or "Harvey's Cousin"). So when Shawn and I go for walks with the dog when it's wet out, my all too common saying is, "Baby, watch out for Harvey. He's trying to get across the sidewalk. Be careful please!". He thinks it's cute - but I think it's necessary! And when one of us does accidentally step on one my common saying is, "Oh no!!! You killed Harvey!!! Bad Shawn!!!"

I know, I know - I am a quirky person. But being quirky keeps life interesting right?

Ugghhhhhh.....I can't wait for tomorrow to be over!!!!

I have to give a final exam at 7:00am (or as I like to call it - the butt crack of dawn!). Then I have an interview at 10:30am at Evergreen College for picking up a couple of argumentation classes. I hate interviewing - I mean really HATE it! I don't like talking about myself in front of people I have never met. However, I must say that interviews with college's are a bit better than interviews in the corporate world. The corporate world SUCKS!!! Enough about that.... let's talk about the weather.

So, I live in the Bay Area and the weather here is supposed to be great right? Not the last couple of weeks. I did not sign up to live in Florida. Now, don't get me wrong, 85 degrees is MUCH better than the 105 degree weather that we were painting in last week. However, the humidity level is at about 60% - which all in all isn't bad - but mix that with 85 or 90 degree weather and it totally sucks booty! I feel like I am in Texas again at TM or training in Florida. I have kept the air conditioning on the whole day. This means that our power bill is going to pretty much kill us this month. Good thing it's only hot here for like 3 months or so during the year.

I know I keep referring to Farscape, but when I am in the heat I feel like it's the "living death". What this means is, Peacekeepers have a condition that if they get too hot, they go into shock pretty much and then they go into a state called the "Living Death". This is where their mind is still alive, but their body is in a perpetual state of dying. It's like being stuck in between a world of life and a world of death. That's exactly what the heat feels like to me. I hate humid heat. This is why I want to move to a place near the beach in California, Oregon or Washington - because it's pretty temperate weather there. I like rain, I like snow, I like Spring weather and Fall weather - but I HATE summer weather. I have been hanging out in the pool quite a bit lately, but not much sunbathing because I can't stand the heat when I am laying there. If I sweat from the heat while I sunbathe, it's really bad - like I said, it's the living death. Enough for now! :) Love you all!!!

It's been a frustrating day

So, I now have an interview with Evergreen which is good. They called today and want to meet me on Wednesday - it sounds promising. I am excited at the prospect of expanding my teaching experience. I would really like to teach Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication or Intercultural Communication. Any of these would be ideal for me and pretty fun since I loved all of these classes when I was an undergrad!

I got my hair cut today. I was thinking about growing it out and donating it to Locks of Love, but have decided that I can't stand it anymore and needed to chop it off. Now it is shoulder length again and layered. I like it - it's very summer-y.

I am feeling a bit discouraged with this whole writing thing. I have so many ideas, but none of which I feel completely connected to. The latest idea I had was for a children's book. Three or four people meet at a summer camp and become friends even though two of the people start off really disliking each other. They are brought together by a mutual friend and the three of them become fast friends. Through breaking the rules and sneaking out in the middle of the night, they discover an entrance into another world (what this world is going to be, I have no idea yet). While in this alternate universe one of them gets kidnapped and the other two have to figure out how to get the third kid back. Once they figure out how to get the kid back, they return to their camp (in the normal world). This is when the summer ends and they all return to their respective homes and wait until next summer to meet up again. This time they are a year older. I have not figured out what is going to happen in the alternate world or what characters are going to be involved yet - but I hoping this idea will take shape and be a viable story line.

What I really want is an idea that I can fall in love with and will be compelled so much to write about these characters that I physically cannot not write. I also want there to be interpersonal aspects to the characters the I write - something deep - something that will connect with people. I have a feeling that I will not product a book for many years to come! But that's ok, it will happen when it's supposed to happen I guess. Until tomorrow......

Lessons from the weekend

This weekend was quite interesting. Shawn and I traveled up to our house in Placerville to paint our "movie theater"....of all colors, red! I learned that painting with red paint is quite the task. We had previously sealed the walls, with white primer. Once we started painting we realized what a difficult task this was going to be. We painted 3 coats of red and we are going to have to paint an additional 2 coats at least. The bright side of this is that the room is going to look amazing. I really hope some of our friends and family will get to benefit from all of our hard work, because if it is just Shawn and I using this room all the time, it's not going to be quite worth it to us.

To top off the painting, it was one of the hottest weekends in Placerville. It was 105 degrees - and boy was it a pain in the butt to paint in that weather. So, here are the lessons from this weekend:
-When painting with red, use the gray primer as suggested and don't use white primer, no matter if you think you "know better"
-Paint in medium weather, not cold weather because the paint will not dry properly, nor hot weather because it will pretty much kill you in the process. (If anyone watches Farscape out there, it is like the living death!)
-Try to seclude your dog from the painting area, because you may just end up with a red dog.....LOL!!! Poor Tess Monster, she has a red tail and red paws, but she is fine!

The brighter side of the weekend was that we can finally see the fruits of our labor come to pass. It is so hard living 3 hours from the house we are remodeling. We can't just go over there at a moments notice to remodel - we have to plan ahead of time and make sure we have all of the supplies needed otherwise we will end up at Home Depot 20 times before starting a project. If y'all remember, we are flooring the movie theater this weekend with pergo flooring - pray that it goes smoothly please. Shawn is going to be working his little heart out (as will I, I think - depending on how my back feels), and it would be great if the process happened smoothly. Since we are talking about prayer requests, I was emailed a couple of days ago by a community college in this area, they want to interview me for some classes, which would be great since we need the money. I will probably hear back sometime this week. I hope I get to pick up those classes since they will be new classes (meaning I have never taught them before) and it will look good on my vitae (an academic resume). In any case, both of those need some prayers! Talk to y'all tomorrow!

I just realized

Hmmm, I just realized that anyone could be reading my blog. I know you are probably saying to yourself, "duhhh", but really, it just dawned on me. This is one of those things that I already knew, but didn't REALLY think about it until just now. You know when you really sit down and think about who is reading your thoughts on the internet, it can get kind of weird. I have tracked a few people from my "footprints" area on Xanga, and everyone I have checked out so far I don't mind reading this - but there are some people that kind of weird me out a bit. What if an ex-boyfriend stumbles upon this page? Or, what if a stalker (not that anything that interesting would ever happen to me, nor would I want it to) were to come and visit my page everyday just waiting for me to post a blog? Ewwww!!! But, I guess that's the risk you take for having a Xanga page. Let's talk about something a bit more interesting - actually two things a bit more interesting.

I was watching the Maury show today and I was amazed! I need to explain though that I don't normally watch talk shows or daytime TV because I think it's a waste of time. But today I was working out for a very long time (a long time to me is about 65 minutes non-stop on the elliptical machine) and decided I wanted to watch TV. What came on really made me cringe. Mothers had brought their 2, 3, 4 & 5 year olds on Maury because they were extremely overweight. Now, I am not talking just 10 or 15 pounds - I am talking a 5 year old weighing 212 pounds and could barely walk. Every mother had pretty much the same story. They fed the kid whatever they wanted and felt bad about saying no. All I could think was, "you are the mother, you say NO". Kids need boundaries, very clear boundaries!!! If you are going to give in on everything, what are you teaching your kid? You are teaching them that they are in control, not you, the adult. Now, I don't have any kids, and don't really plan on having kids for quite a while (I am a Toys-R-Us kid myself and don't feel ready for babies), but I do know that you need to draw very clear boundaries and put kids in their place when it's necessary. The first time a kid throws a temper tantrum, that's it - I would walk away until they were finished and then confront the situation once they decided they were done. My mom did this and I never had another one. I learned at a very early age that I was NOT in control, my parents were and I needed to respect that. I did push the envelope quite a bit, but knew who was ultimately in charge.

Speaking of working out, I am neurotic. I am only teaching a couple days a week right now and have tons of time to myself - thus the book idea (see an earlier post). I kind of have the opinion that I NEED to workout everyday otherwise I am going to get really really fat. I know that's not true, but I can't get it out of my head that I should workout every single day. I used to workout for 30 minutes, and now I am up to 45mins. to 65 mins a day. And, once I up my workout time I can't go back otherwise I am disappointed in myself. I think I am a little obsessive. I worked out for 65 minutes today and think that I am going to do the same tomorrow. My friends keep telling me that I need to slow it down and give my body a day to rest (and normally I do), but when that day of rest comes, all I can think about it working out. I can't just have a day to relax, I constantly think about it. So there's a little tidbit into my workout obsession! I need help! LOL

The Fidgety yet Supportive Husband

Last night Shawn read the blog about my dad and immediately said, "does Double P need a hug?" (he is so sweet and supportive). Of course I started to cry, simply because the whole situation with my dad is pretty sad. But I must say I am progressing with the healing process. A year ago there would have been no way that I would have put into words what I was thinking, nevertheless what I was feeling. It has taken a while, but my heart is coming around a bit. I no longer have so much rage in me, rather sympathy and hope.

Enough about that, let's get back to the fun posts! My husband is one of the greatest people I know. He is full of patience, love and perseverance. In addition to all of these things, and this is a pretty surfacy comment, but he is also one of the most fidgety people I know. We can be hanging out watching Farscape (the best TV show in the world by the way) and he will not stop moving. He will literally be hanging out and shake his foot, scratch his arm, pet the dog, play with the blanket, move around his pillows, and the list goes on and on. Shawn and I have this very conversation almost every night, (me) "Baby, please stop fidgeting, I just want to relax", (Shawn - with a pitiful face) "Double P, you know I can't sit still", (me) "Baby, please try. Just for five minutes, please. You are driving me crazy". (Shawn) "I will try" - and no more than 30 seconds later he starts to fidget again. It sometimes gets so bad that I have to leave and go into the other room if I am trying to fall asleep. Looking at this from an outsiders perspective, it's kind of funny. His fidgeting drives me nuts! When I want to relax I will lay still and only move when it's necessary. That's how I unwind. He, on the other hand, has to have something moving at all time - whether that be his mind, or his fidgety body. As much as this drives me crazy, if it weren't there I would probably miss it greatly. Stuck between a rock in a hard place I guess. :)

Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day (inspired by a friend)

I am angry... I am angry that you didn't think about the people around you or give them the benefit of the doubt in helping you. I am angry that you didn't call for help when you were having suicidal thoughts! I am angry that you didn't give us an opportunity to reach out to you. I am angry that you were so deep in your depression and so prideful that you didn't bother to ask for help, rather you kept it bottled up and tried to deal with it yourself. I am angry that you took your own life. Your life was intertwined with many...many people who hurt, even two and a half years after you ended your suffering. I am angry that you turned to alcohol instead of turning to the people in your life for support. I am angry that you weren't there for my wedding. I am angry that you didn't stick around long enough to be the one to walk me down the isle, I had to go it alone!

I am blessed... I am blessed that I had a father at home into my teenage years. I am blessed that you stuck it out for so long even when you were unhappy in your living situation. I am blessed because you chose to care about us even when you didn't want to. I am blessed because you selflessly took care of your aunt and uncle for years even when you didn't have to. I am blessed because I learned many life lessons through your experiences. I am blessed because you took so many risks in life to try to be happy. I am blessed I was given your adventurous spirit. I am blessed that you lived most of your life determined to experience...experience places, people, and things. I am blessed because I am a part of you - something only one other person on the face of the earth gets to be a part of. I am blessed because I inherited many of your incredible traits. I am blessed because that I got to experience you while you were still here.

I will remember... I will remember when you took care of me when I was sick in the middle of the night. I will remember all of the lunches you packed for me before going to school. I will remember the way you put on your shoes in the morning. I will remember the thermos you used for your coffee and the coffee mug you never washed because it "gave the coffee more flavor". I will remember the parties at your house. I will remember how you called me "kid" even into my mid-twenties. I will remember how safe I felt in your arms when I was scared when I was younger. I will remember your determination to take us to Disneyland under truly aweful circumstances. I will remember that you were the strongest man in the world and could do anything when I was young. I will remember the stories you told about being a cop. I will remember talking to you about God in-depth over the phone. I will remember your infectious laughter. I will remember all of your memories, both good and bad throughout the years.

Happy Father's Day Dad, I miss you terribly! I wish you were here!

The book adventure

I wish I had something to write today, I don't. I think this is what writer's block means. I don't say that haphazardly rather with complete seriousness......but there is something I am trying my hand at to see if it will work.

I ordered three books today on how to write a great fiction novel. In fact, I have a few ideas that I would like to try my hand at. One of them, the first one I would like to explore is about a girl in her last year of college who is very studious, a great researcher, and gets engaged the summer before returning to her senior year. During the year she plans her wedding while finishing her senior year. She gets some advice from a young married friend from her church who tells her that the best thing to do before you are married is to talk to people at different stages of marriage to see what kind of information they have to offer through their experiences. She the book is going to be about her journey and struggles through her senior year of college (the college thing may change), but more about her preparation of her upcoming marriage. I am still throwing around ideas of what to do for the "major problem" she faces in the book. Is it going to be her cold feet of getting married? Will it focus on maybe interest of a 'new love' of one of the couples sons of whom she is gathering advice from? What is the major problem? I don't know yet. There are a million different ways this story can go. Mixed in with the story are going to be her journal entries and reflections on what she has learned from the people she visits and what she feels about her fiance. Does this sound like a viable story to anyone? Would this be something that people would read? I really want to write something that people can relate to on some level. I really want the fictional character to be developed really well and something people can empathize with and get emotional with. Maybe I am on the wrong track here, but this seems like a cool story to me. I am sure I can get a good 200 page book out of that idea. Any suggestions?

Pangaea

I really wanted to write something really profound for today's post - but I have decided to talk about dad's tomorrow and something completely random today. Here it goes: Shawn and I watched a documentary on the origins of the world this morning and they mentioned Pangaea. I have been fascinated with the concept of Pangaea for quite a while. So tonight when we were laying in bed watching TV, I looked at my toes and said they looked like Pangaea. They fit perfectly together just like the 'original' continent, yet they are separate toes just like the current land masses on earth are. At times my toes are Pangaea, but I can spread my toes and they become separate entities.

Shawn often laughs at me and says that I am the weirdest person he knows. In fact he sits back and laughs at me when I verbalize things like this. I will be completely serious when I say stuff like, "my toes are like Pangaea" and it cracks him up. To tell you the truth, sometimes random things cross my mind and I will sit there and debate whether to say them out loud or not. Most of the time I will simply say whatever it is I am thinking because I know it will make him laugh. (I love it when he laughs, it makes me happy). Therefore my toes are like Pangaea! :)

Tess Monster

So some people talk about their kids all the time, but I don't have kids so I talk about my dog. Tess is a funny character. We adopted her about a year and a half ago from a place called Hopalong Pet Adoption or something like that. I saw her picture online and immediately fell in love. To this day she hams it up when a camera comes out. I swear she was Tyra Banks in another life (well, if I actually believed in that). She literally will pose when she sees a camera. She gets these really cute looks on her face and will move around a bit to give the cutest look. I really think she knows what's going on. Anyway, in addition to the really cute things she does, she has some pretty bad habits. First, she scouts around the house to see if we have left anything on the floor for her to get into and eat when we leave the house. Since we have become accustomed to her doing this, we no longer leave things on the coffee table or within doggie reaching distance. But the dog has since outsmarted us. About three weeks ago we made spare ribs (why they are called "spare" is a whole other conversation. Are they really spare or are they needed and usable?) Enough of that, back to my story....so Shawn and I go outside to hang out in the hot tub and about 30 minutes later we come back into the apartment. We walk into the kitchen and see the really heavy duty glass bowl that we once had on the counter now shattered in a million little pieces all over the floor. The kicker? The ribs were gone, the bones were scattered all over the apartment, but there was no blood! Let me paint the picture for you here: Tess Monster stood up on her hind legs, reached up on the counter and pulled the bowl of ribs onto the floor. The bowl shattered probably scaring the crap out of her, but she continued on her mission anyway. She then picked through all of the glass pieces to get to the ribs, ate the meat from the ribs and licked up the sauce from the floor ALL WITHOUT CUTTING HER PAWS OR HER MOUTH!!! She is truly a dog with skill! Not only can she predict earthquakes, she can magically get ribs off of a tall counter, eat the whole bowl of ribs without getting cut, she can also jump on a seconds notice. Just today Shawn was taking her out for a walk and some weird guy in tinnneeeeyyyyy tiny running shorts came up behind her and freaked her out and she jumped on his leg ripping his already too small running shorts. Apparently Shawn did not hear this guy from behind coming up on them, but Tess Monster did. She reacted and tried to protect her daddy by jumping (not biting mind you) on the 'would be' assailant by ripping his shorts (a dog with true skill). And, before Shawn could offer to pay for the shorts (even though this guy was a freak! Who the heck would come up behind a dog and scare the crap out of them?), the guy runs the other direction - but not before momentarily giving my husband and attitude by sarcastically saying "thanks"! What a freak! These are the kinds of things we deal with on a day to day basis with this dog. If we didn't love her so much and weren't as attached to her as we are, we would have probably given her up a long time ago. But, she is our little angel! In fact, she woke up her last owner and saved him from a fire (that is, before he died of natural causes a few years later). She is a very smart dog, but very much a spoiled little brat!

Lot's of Randomness

So I met a couple of my colleagues from San Jose State for brunch today. I had a good time. We grabbed a bite to eat and then we went wine tasting at the Picchetti Winery. It was pretty fun. We tasted 5 different wines, one of which I think I would like to buy. My only problem with buying wine is that I don't drink that much of it. Literally it would take me weeks to finish a bottle of wine if no one is over to help me drink it. I drink wine about once a month, and since the husband does not drink wine at all, it's almost not worth it to buy bottles.

My 'friends' situation kind of hit me today a bit. I have been feeling like I have been isolating myself a bit since we bought the house in Placerville. I think subconsciously I didn't want the break from my friends to be difficult. Plus, I hate to admit it, but I think moving and needing to make new friends is going to be a good thing for me. As outgoing as I am, I seem to get very comfortable where I am at. I think the move is going to help me break out of my shell a bit and force me to meet new people. I look forward to making new friends at church (as soon as we get plugged into a good one up there) and going to a weekly bible study or book club or young married's group or something like that. I think what I really need are some friends who are married and established that I can relate to. I really want to hook up with some people who love the Lord and who want to see good things happen for the Kingdom. I long for deep friendships that are encouraging and loving!

On a little bit of a different note, I have wanted to write a book for a while. I love reading good books - books with Christian undertones. Not something too preachy, or too watered down, but something interesting that has some Christian themes involved. I haven't decided on a pen name yet - but I am thinking something cool - nothing that would give me away as 'me'. My sister has a really cool pen name, so maybe I will ask her if I can use the last name (since we really are sisters). Actually, I have asked my sister if she wants to write a book with me - we are throwing around ideas at the moment, but haven't really sat down to talk about it. In fact, I am going to head over to Barnes and Noble to get a book on writing a book (ironic I know)! There is supposed to be a really good book on how to write a fiction novel. And, since I have absolutely no experience writing, I figure heck - why not give it a try!

Scriptures

One of my husband's friends from high school lives close to where we are moving in December. I like the fact that we are going to be close to some of his friends - but the trade off is that I will no longer have friends that I will be hanging out with. I am going to need to make all new friends, which I am kind of scared about. I have no problem making new friends, but it's a hard thing to make really good friends at this age. I am almost 30 (scary to think about). One of the coolest things though is that I am hooked up with his wife (Hi Valerie) and we are trading scriptues online (through our MySpace pages). I quite enjoy getting little tidbits of what people are reading in the bible. It is very encouraging! I slacked off a bit yesterday, but will be back on my game today and will send her a scripture this afternoon! :) I will update again later. (I am running out the door to meet some colleagues for brunch).

A Dog's Intuition

Today was interesting to say the least – or should I say this morning? California is a great place to live (or so some people say). Living in the Bay Area has many perks – some of which I am probably going to miss when we move to Placerville (near Lake Tahoe) in December. One of the perks I am not going to miss is the Earthquakes. Now, when we were going over all of our paperwork for our house up in Placerville, it stated that there was little or no threat for natural disasters – no fault lines close (that means no earthquakes), no threat for flooding since we are on a hill (if the area does flood, our house will be fine), little threat for fire since the trees are normally green in that area and the fire department is close. So, needless to say, we bought a house in a pretty good area. No so in the Bay Area. This morning at 5:24am there was a 4.7 magnitude earthquake located about 20 miles south of where our apartment is. At about 5:15am or so, Tess Monster (or doggie) started to freak out. She sat right next to the bed near my head and whined. Normally when she does this it means that she needs to go outside to use the restroom. So I hastily got out of bed and let her outside. About a minute later I got back in bed and tried to go back to sleep. She came back again next to the bed and started to whine – so I decided to groggily get out of bed again to take her for a walk thinking she had some “bigger business” to take care of. While on the walk she kept looking south. I thought she was simply listening to another dog in the apartment complex, but when we got back to the house (after the “big business” completion) there was a “breaking news report”. There was an earthquake. Tess Monster was simply trying to warn us that somethin’ was a-brewin’ in the area. For the next hour or so she would whine intermittently. About five minutes after every instance of whining, the news station reported an aftershock. Our dog is extremely smart – a bit of a spoiled brat, but very smart! I just wish there was some way to reason with the dog and tell her, “I don’t care about the earthquake – if I can feel it – or if it throws me out of bed, then I will get up. However, if I can’t feel it, please don’t wake me up to notify me of an earthquake”. But that’s not possible.

Many people (including our family on the east coast) think that we are crazy for living in earthquake country. But, it’s a small price to pay for the weather I guess. Plus, most of the time we are hit with really small earthquakes that we can’t feel. Actually, after living here for most of my life I kind of enjoy a good earthquake. Sounds crazy, but it spices up life a bit. What do you think?

Performance Review

So today I had my performance review - although in the world of academia I don't think it's called that. Essentially I had a 'senior' instructor come into my class and observe me for about an hour. Then, two weeks later, I met with the instructor to find out what he/she thought. Now, at every college I teach at, it's done a little differently. At De Anza, we meet with the observing instructor - but at San Jose State we simply get a letter in our mail box. This observation was at De Azna. So, I actually met with the observing instructor.

Everything was going ok until - well - until I put my foot in my mouth. I should walk around with a tattoo on my forehead that says "Foot in Mouth Syndrome - BEWARE!" So, there I was, having coffee with the instructor who observed me, and all was well. She talked to me a little about how I had improved since last quarter and how I should just keep on doing what I am doing. I asked her for suggestions and she said that everything looks good and that I shouldn't change anything. Towards the end of the conversation she asks me about a retiring professor at San Jose State. I said something a bit negative about the instructor and spent the next 5 minutes trying to dig myself out of the hole I just dug. I didn't mean to say what I did, but as those of us who have "Foot in Mouth" syndrome know - you can't take something back after you have said it. It is eternally out there and there is nothing you can do about it. I just hope that the observing instructor is forgiving - (I did spend the rest of the 5 minutes saying positive things about the retiring professor - so I hope that ended things on a little bit of a positive note).

On a bit of a different subject - now that I am only teaching 2 days a week with absolutely no prospects for work during the summer. Now, I could just sit back and do nothing all summer - work on my tan - and enjoy this time. However, I have been working full time for about the last ten years and don't really know what to do with myself since I have time off. How do housewives do it? I am not asking this to be mean or sexist - but I am truly wondering how people do it when they have long periods of time off? I don't have kids, so I don't really have anything to keep me busy during the day. If I don't get some suggestions soon, I have a feeling that I will be reading away my summer. I have 6 more books I want to get through, but I was hoping to spread those out over the next few months. At this rate I will be done with them in no time.

Until tomorrow.....(or later if I get really bored).......

Saving Money

My husband and I went to Ikea today to get some stuff for the new house. We decided to get wood flooring for the entire downstairs of our house. While we were there we picked up some extra things. Apparently Ikea was having its annual sale today and we got quite a bit of stuff for very little money. Here is the list of stuff we purchased:

Rug 5x7 originally $129 purchased for $20
2 Rugs 4x6 originally $99each purchased for $20each
4 outside chairs originally $59 each purchased for $10 each
4 bookcases originally $69 each purchased for $10 each

All in all we saved about $700. I am so incredibly excited about that its unbelievable. The husband says that he never sees me as happy than when I am saving money on something. Dont get me wrong, we spent quite a bit of money because of the flooring, but we saved almost as much as we spent. I must admit, I love saving money which is interesting because I hate shopping!

Stuffed Artichokes

2 jumbo artichokes
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated mizithra cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, minced finely
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 TB olive oil

Clean artichokes and steam for approximately 20-30 minutes. Clean out center of artichoke and stuff with stuffing (reserve 1 TB of olive oil). Stuff between leaves if you'd like. Drizzle with the remaining TB olive oil. Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350, or until the stuffing is thoroughly heated.

Modify however you'd like.

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar

• 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 2 15 oz can of corn, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 can of Rotel Tomatoes
  
• 2 large avocados, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice
  
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced (optional)
  
• Lime juice from 3 lime
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips. It's best if it sits for an hour before serving.

No Guilt, No Crust Pumpkin Pie

1 - 15oz. can pure pumpkin
1 - 12oz can 2% evaporated milk
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup dark brown, 1/4 cup white)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients together, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Nutritional information:
1 - 15oz. can pure pumpkin 140 cals, 3.5 fat, 17.5 fiber
1 - 12oz can 2% evaporated milk 300 cal, 6 fat, 0 fiber
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute 30 cals
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup dark brown, 1/4 cup white) 580 cals
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 0 cals

1,050 cals, 9,5 grams fat, 17.5 grams fiber
Makes 8 servings
131.25 calories, 1 gram fat, 2 grams fiber = 2 points per serving.

Pumpkin Pie Spice:
4 TB. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 tsp. ground ginger
3 tsp. ground allspice

Tri Tip Marinade

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TB. black pepper
1 TB. garlic powder
1 TB. kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. onion powder
3 TB. minced garlic (in water from jar)
1 TB. dried minced onion or onion flake
2 lbs. tri tip roast

Marinate for at least 6 hours.

Cook on grill, on low for a long time!

Korean Beef (Bulgogi)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thinly sliced Scotch fillet (chuck eye steaks)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet wine)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, shallots, garlic, and mirin. Add the meat, and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the meat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Serve with salad or fried rice.

Note: Baked in the oven at 350 for 30-40 minutes in corning ware.

New York Cheesecake

I apologize if you have stumbles across this post. This is a post so I can keep track of this recipe, and really shouldn't be published in this format. If you actually want this recipe, please let me know and I can send it to you.

Crust
1 cup graham crackers
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
32 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Zest of 1 lemon

Press crust into molds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, zest and vanilla, beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Large tins - 30 mins. at 350 with water bath.
Small tins with papers - 22 mins in water bath.

Once out of the oven, put in microwave with water bath and close the door mostly. Let steam to evaporate and cool. Cheesecakes should be cool. Transfer to refrigerator over night. Serve.

Note: The first time made, the lemon was a bit strong. Perhaps half of the lemon zest would work?

Crustless Mini Quiches

Crustless Mini Quiches

Ingredients

• 1 can evaporated milk
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli (thawed and drained)
• 1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chives
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the milk, flour, seasonings, salt and eggs. Whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and pour (to the rim) into a muffin tin that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Notes: adapted from a recipe from Carnation

Chile Verde

This recipe was adapted from a foodnetwork.com recipe. It's fabulous!

4 pounds pork should or butt trimmed of fat, and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Flour for dredging
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 yellow onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 TB dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 bay leaves
1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
4 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Season the pork meat generously with salt and pepper, lightly flour. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well in small batches, on all sides. Lift pork out of pan and place in a wide soup pot. Discard fat and place the onions and peppers in the same skillet and sweat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Add all of the chiles and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add the Sauteed vegetables, chopped tomatillos, dried herbs and cilantro to the meat, cover with the chicken stock and bring up to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.

Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

3 cans Black Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes (with chilies)

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

1 extra large Chicken Bullion cube

1 large onion diced

1 ½ cups celery diced

3-4 cups water

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 TB. Olive Oil

Dash salt

Dash pepper

Dash hot sauce

4 cloves of garlic

1146.50 calories

13.5 grams of fat

71.9 grams fiber

Yields about 14 cups

81 calories

1 gram fat

5 grams fiber

1 point per cup

Saute veggies, add all other ingredients, add spices. Blend half of the soup in a blender until smooth.

Additions: I just made this and added chicken - wow, it was awesome!!! You can also add corn, extra cilantro, sour cream, cheese, crunched tortilla chips....In short, make your own!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

3 cans Black Beans (not drained)

1 can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes (with chilies)

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

1 extra large Chicken Bullion cube

1 large onion diced

1 ½ cups celery diced

3 cups water

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 TB. Olive Oil

Dash salt

Dash pepper

Dash hot sauce

4 cloves of garlic

1146.50 calories

13.5 grams of fat

71.9 grams fiber

Yields about 14 cups

81 calories

1 gram fat

5 grams fiber

1 point per cup

Chicken Soup

3 Chicken Breasts - 450, 4.5, 0
1 carrot - 25, 0, 0
2 stalks celery - 10, 0, 0
1 medium onion - 50, 0, 0
6 cloves garlic - 27, 0, 0
2 TB chili powder - 50, 0, 0
2 cans corn - 420, 7, 20
1 can tomatoes - 105, 0, 6
2 cans beans - 700, 0, 48
1 cup salsa - 120, 0, 4
3 bullion cubes - 90, 0, 0
1 can tomato sauce - 70, 0, 1

2117, 12, 60

Divided by 8

264, 1.5, 7.5

5 points if it serves 8

Cowboy Caviar

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black eye peas, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 bell pepper
1 bunch of cilantro
1/4 small red onion
grape tomatoes cut in half (Do not add until ready to serve as tomatoes lose their flavor in the refrigerator. Tomatoes also not factored into 1 cup serving size. I measured everything buy tomatoes.)

Juice of 2 lemons or 3 limes
Red Wine Vinegar
1 TB. Olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic
hot sauce (Tapatia)
salt
pepper

Makes 6 servings of 1 cup each.

1135 calories
28 grams of fat
56 grams of fiber

189 calories
4 grams of fat
9 grams fiber

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 cans black beans
2 cans corn (or 2 cups frozen)
1 bunch cilantro
1 small can chili's
16 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1 green or red bell pepper chopped
4 or 5 scallions/green onions

1/4 soy sauce or amino acid substitute
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
dash of tobasco sauce

Low Cal Brownies

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg whites
2 cups sugar in the raw
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet), divided
Butter-flavor cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mist 2 12-cup non-stick mini-muffin tins with spray.

In a large mixing bowl, using a sturdy whisk or spatula, mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites an sugar until they are well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir mixture until it is just combined and no lumps remain. Working in batches, fill each cup until it is just barely full. Sprinkle about one fourth of the chips evenly over the brownies in each of the tins. Bake then for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow them to cool 5 minutes. Using a butter knife, gently lift the brownies from the muffin tins (if they are sticking, gently run the knife around the edge of each cup).

Allow them to cool for another 10 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the batter and remaining chips.

Makes 48 brownie cups; 24 servings.

Each serving (2 brownies) has:
109 calories
2 grams of protein
23 grams of carbohydrates
1 gram of fat
less than 1 gram saturated fat
no cholesterol
139 milligrams of sodium

Chicken and Lentils over Rice

3 pot/pan cooking:

Skillet/Pan #1
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 TB olive oil
*also added one chicken broth packet from TJ's while sauteing to give more flavor

Once the veggies are soft, add:
1 cup of lentils
2 cups of water
1-8oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 extra large chicken bullion cube
1 TB. chipotle in adobo
*add more water if it becomes dry

Pan #2
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1-2 tsp. olive oil
Saute until outside is cooked, but not cooked through
Add this to Pot#1

Pot #3
Cook brown basmati rice with chicken bullion cube.

Serve mixture over rice.

Verdict: Loved this recipe! Honestly, it was a great comfort food recipe. I might add one more can of tomato sauce to it, and leave out the chicken completely. It would be a really good vegetarian recipe.

Carol's Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef (originally used 80/20 mix)
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 slices of bread cubed and soaked in milkhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
2 eggs
1/2 cup sauteed onions, diced small
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together, then brown in a sautee pan with olive oil until a bit crispy on at least two sides. Add to sauce and simmer all day.

Adapted from the original recipe HERE.

French Dressing

2 cups ketchup
2 cups sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil - vegetable
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB dry mustard
1 chopped onion

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Recipe by Jayne Neilson

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Ginger Beef Stir Fry
Serves 4


Ingredients
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup plum sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin 2-inch strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped
Hot cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the plum sauce, ginger, soy sauce and pepper flakes; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm.

In the same pan, stir-fry the red pepper, broccoli, carrots, onions and garlic until tender. Return beef to the pan. Whisk the plum sauce mixture; stir into skillet. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in peanuts. Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.


http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2010/12/ginger-beef-stir-fry.html

Kitchen Sink Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter - OR 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour OR - 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silpat baking mats or parchment paper.

2). In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

3). In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir in butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, chips, coconut, raisins, and walnut, and stir until well blended.

4). Drop batter by heaping tablespoons with with a 1-ounce ice cream scoop onto cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

Recipe from: www.marthastewart.com

Steak Rub

3-4 tsp salt
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric

Rub onto steaks. BBQ or cook another way.

Korean Recipes

Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Korean Pork BBQ)
Ingredients:
1lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
2TB brown sugar
2TB soy sauce
1 1/2 TB Sambal Oelek
1tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1tsp. dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
Cooking spray

Directions:
1). Wrap pork in plastic wrap; freeze 1 1/2 hours or until firm.
2). Remove pork from freezer and cut across grain into 1/16-inch thick slices.
3). Combine pork, sugar, and next 6 ingredients in a large container. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4). Cook on stove top or on BBQ with grilling basket.

Beef Bulgogi
Ingredients:
1-1.5lbs thinly sliced rib-eye steak. Cut into paper thin slices (partially freeze beef first).
1/3 cup soy sauce
3TB white sugar
1TB sesame oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2TB toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
2 pinches of black pepper
1/4 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into moon shape
2 green onions, finely sliced into small pieces

Directions:
1). Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl except beef and onions.
2). When most of the sugar has dissolved, add been and onion slices to the bowl and massage marinade with your hands into each slice of beef. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3). To pan fry, place a few slices of beef in single layer and completely flat on a hot oiled frying pan. Fry until each side is cooked.
4). Some prefer to fry until the edges of the beef have turned dark brown.
5). Serve with hot rice.

Korean Tacos in the Slow Cooker
3-4 pounds of beef roast (chuck roast is good)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic peeled, but cloves left in tact
1/2 onion diced
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated, or minced
2 TB rice wine vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1 whole jalapeno diced (or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flake)

Directions:
1). Throw everything into a slow cooker.
2). Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
3). Once finished, shred meat.
4). Serve with Asian Slaw, and on tortillas. Preferably corn.

Gyros, Tzatziki Sauce and Greek Rice

Gyro Meat
1 medium onion shredded
2 lbs. ground lamb (or 1lb. ground beef for sub)
1 TB. finely minced garlic
1 TB. dried marjoram
1 TB. dried ground rosemary (this was a bit too much)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:
1). After onion is grated, make sure to squeeze out all extra liquid.
2). Mix all other ingredients together.
3). Put in loaf pan, press tightly into all corners.
4). Bake in water bath at 325 degrees for 60-75 minutes.
5). Slice when cooled a bit and fry pieces to get crust.

Tzatziki Sauce:
24 ounces of Greek Yogurt
1 garlic clove finely grated
1 cucumbers grated or finely diced, drained
3 TB. lemon juice (I used the squeeze bottle)
1 TB. Kosher salt to sprinkle over cucumbers (to release water)
2 TB. Olive Oil
1 TB. Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1). Grate or chop cucumbers.
2). Sprinkle with 1 TB. salt, mix.
3). Allow to sit for 30 minutes to release water.
4). Place in tea towel and squeeze.
5). Mix all other ingredients together.
6). Let sit for at least 2 hours before serving.

Greek Rice
1 1/2 cups Jasmin or other long grain rice